One Step at a Time

I love the Appalachian Mountains, but sometimes 

I am surrounded by a different kind of mountain that I believe I can't climb.

Sorrow, grief, achievement, expectations, too much to do, and the list goes on.

What do I do when I lift my eyes to those daunting mountains?

I look to the One who gives me the strength and courage to climb.

I lift my eyes to God and seek Him as I take the mountain step-by-step,

because I know He walks with me, and His love surrounds me.

 

Jesus Gives Peace

Hiking in the mountains of North Carolina with my family filled me with peace. 

Not the peace that resembles satisfaction, but the peace Jesus promises. 

The peace that's beyond my understanding that soothes my soul.

That's the peace I want in my heart every day.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Split-time Novel Review: When Stone Wings Fly by Karen Barnett

What it’s About:

Uncovering a long-lost family story is the only way to bring her grandmother peace.

Kieran Lucas's grandmother is slipping into dementia, and, when her memory is gone, Kieran's last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, Granny Mac is being tormented by flashbacks of her mother’s death and the loss of their home.

In 1931, Rosie McCauley's Smoky Mountains home is threatened by the Tennessee Great Smokies Park Commission as they create a new national park. But Rosie vows the only way they'll get her land is if they haul her out in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for her lifetime, it seems too good to be true.

Ornithologist Benton Fuller arrives to conduct a bird survey for the park and the two form a tenuous bond. But their friendship broadens a rift between her and the other mountain folk who are suspicious of any government connections. Then the discovery of an illegal still in the woods near her cabin leads to a violent clash between sides that could destroy them all.

Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find answers to her great-grandmother's mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it's too late. Park Historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating both the answers and a precious family heirloom. But just as in the past, Kieran's needs clash with government regulations. Will Zach block her from recovering what she needs and solving this family mystery?

My Thoughts:

I anticipated reading When Stone Wings Fly, and it did not disappoint. Karen Barnett brings us another wonderful book featuring the National Parks. This time we find Rosie McCauley in the midst of the creation of the Great Smoky Mountain’s National Park, with a threat to lose her land. Benton Fuller, researching for the park system, discovers the place his heart has longed for. Two generations later, Kieran Lucas wants more than anything to bring the grandmother she’s longed for a peace in the midst of dementia. As she searches for that peace, she finds Zach, a kind-hearted man troubled by his past. Barnett set up a heart-wrenching, yet hopeful story in the midst of the beautiful Smokies. Grandma Mac’s story weaves together this beautiful tale of determination and love. Realistic, yet romantic, this story touches the heart in so many ways. If you enjoy split-time, historical, or romance, I think you’ll enjoy When Stone Wings Fly. I purchased a copy, and my opinions are my own.

Historical Fiction Book Review: The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Book Description:
A traveling librarian ventures into the mining towns of Kentucky on horseback—and learns to trust the One who truly pens her story—in this powerful novel from the best-selling author of A Silken Thread.

During the Great Depression, city-dweller Addie Cowherd dreams of becoming a novelist and offering readers the escape that books had given her during her tragic childhood. When her father loses his job, she is forced to take the only employment she can find—delivering books on horseback to poor coal-mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

But turning a new page will be nearly impossible in Boone's Hollow, where residents are steeped in superstitions and deeply suspicious of outsiders. Even local Emmett Tharp feels the sting of rejection after returning to the tiny mountain hamlet as the first in his family to graduate college. And as the crippled economy leaves many men jobless, he fears his degree won’t be worth much in a place where most men either work the coal mine or run moonshine.

As Addie also struggles to find her place, she’ll unearth the truth about a decades-old rivalry. But when someone sets out to sabotage the town’s library program, will the culprit chase Addie away or straight into the arms of the only person who can help her put a broken community back together?

My Review:
As a former librarian, I enjoy the stories of these brave souls who ventured into the mountains to deliver literature. In The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, Addie's life is opened to a whole new world she never imagined. Set in the time following the Great Depression, Addie takes the only job she can find. I love the Kentucky mountain setting and variety of characters. Addie, Bettina, and Emmett venture into a time where they need to rely on God and one another, even when they think they can't. I love how the author brings out important issues and effortlessly weaves them into the story. Her writing offers hope. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.